The Bundeskartellamt expects significantly more takeovers and mergers this year than in previous years. “There is a lot of liquidity in the market, while at the same time many companies have difficulties due to corona,” said the head of the Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt, of the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday edition).
He reckons with a number of difficult procedures: “This mixed situation can result not only in many, but also competitively sensitive procedures.”
However, he refuses to scrutinize mergers only laxly because companies are in crisis because of Corona, said Mundt: “Merger control is structural control that is directed towards the future. We must therefore not apply any other yardstick than in the past.”
His authority will critically examine if companies from China should use the current turbulence to buy German companies: “In the future, we will have to be much more careful that there are no distortions of competition through state-subsidized takeovers.” (AFP)
–
